Seneca Rocks, WV

A quick power-walk up one of West Virginia's most famous landmarks. My bro' and I reckoned we could make the 900', 2.6 mile round-trip while the others had lunch. Turns out it was one of the most rewarding hikes of our summer vacation. Vertigo in the mountains is not usually something I suffer from; atop Seneca Rocks however...

Seneca Rocks, WV (6-24-09)

The Route...or my best illustration of it, though there were most definitely more switchbacks:)

Seneca Rocks

The view from the picnic area near the visitors center. It's 1.3 miles to the top from here with a vertical climb of 900'. As the most used trail in the Monongahela I figured we could make good time...

Seneca Rocks Trailhead

This plaque near the trailhead honors the members of the 10th Mountain division who trained here in World War 2...

Seneca Rocks Trail

Testimony to the huge numbers of people that make this hike every year are the two steel bridges that take you across the South Branch of the Potomac River...

Seneca Rocks Trail

The South Fork of the Potomac River

Seneca Rocks Trail

About a quarter mile in you pass this small barrage of informational signs...

Seneca Rocks Trail

The cliffs rise above the trees at the second river crossing...

Seneca Rocks Trail

The South Branch of the Potomac was beautiful albeit quite low for all the rain the area had received in the previous weeks...

Seneca Rocks Trail

After the second river crossing the trail splits...left being towards the cliffs...

Seneca Rocks Trail

As the trail crosses underneath the cliff face the forest floor becomes littered with boulders of every size which long ago had fallen from the heights above...

Seneca Rocks Trail

The majority of the vertical climb is saved for the last half of the trail. The popularity of the trail has left a well-worn path that is actually quite easy to walk despite the steepness...

Seneca Rocks Trail

Views are pretty much non-existent on the way up. This was the only one I caught shortly before reaching the top, looking west...

Seneca Rocks Trail

How do you prevent people from cutting across switchbacks? Build a big 'ol wall, of course!!

Seneca Rocks Trail

The forest cuts off any views you might otherwise have on the way up...quite typical of the southern mountains and the relatively low elevations I was still at...

Seneca Rocks Trail Observation Platform

This is the stunning view west from the observation platform 'atop' Seneca Rocks. Only problem is...it's not really atop Seneca Rocks. This was nice but we wanted more soooo...

Seneca Rocks Trail

...we continued upward into the "danger zone." Seriously, why climb to the top of Seneca Rocks without actually getting out on the rock?!

Seneca Rocks

The vegetation here clung tenaciously to the cliff edges...

Seneca Rocks

Breaking out into the open...the South Branch Potomac River valley heads south through the Allegheney's. See those rocks to the left...yeah, that's where we were heading next...

Seneca Rocks

A remarkable display of free-climbing by a local resident on the way out to the edge...

Seneca Rocks

To get out to the cliff edge we had to descend this narrow crack...

Seneca Rocks

...and then ascend this small outcrop...

Seneca Rocks

This really IS as narrow as it looks, maybe 4 feet wide with 700' cliffs on either side...

Seneca Rocks

My brother Nate in scrambling heaven...

Seneca Rocks

I don't normally suffer from vertigo but sitting out on a 4-foot wide sliver of rock 700' above the forest floor made me cling a bit tighter to the rock face...

Seneca Rocks

Nathan placing a kung-fu grip on the rock as he carefully makes his way out for a photo-op...

Seneca Rocks

Hero shot on Seneca Rocks...

Seneca Rocks

The views from atop the rocks were stunning. Here the West Virginia mountains roll west past the crossroads of Seneca Rocks. The far peaks reach elevations above 4000'...

Seneca Rocks

The view east from the rocks is a bit more limited but no less beautiful. Note the tiny cabin in the cove about halfway up the next ridge...my dream home...

Seneca Rocks

After spending a short time up top we scrambled down a bit to get an edge-on view of the rocks...the low sun was playing heck with my exposure...

Seneca Rocks

Nate patiently hanging out while his big bro scrambles around for yet another picture...

Seneca Rocks

Scrambling off the west side of the cliffs some views back to the north started to open up...

Seneca Rocks

The narrow fin of rock the creates Seneca Rocks continues north in less dramatic fashion...

Seneca Rocks

Looking north up the Potomac Valley...our next destination, the famous Dolly Sods, sits atop the high ridge in the distance...

Seneca Rocks Trail

As always, the trip down went much quicker then the trip up so no photos...I did stop long enough to admire these beautiful Sycamore's lining the Potomac near the end of our trek...

Seneca Rocks

A quick look back at where we just came from. The observation deck is located in the trees to the left. We climbed out above the large "triangle" of rock to the high point just right of center. Quite a memorable little hike...